OBJECTIVES

To examine the efficacy and tolerability of antimuscarinic therapy in women with urge-predominant mixed incontinence.

METHODS

This was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial comprising 854 women with urge-predominant mixed incontinence, including urge incontinence (five or more episodes per week), urinary frequency (eight or more micturitions on average in 24 hours), and urgency in combination with stress incontinence. Women received 8 weeks of treatment with tolterodine tartrate extended-release (ER) 4 mg or placebo once daily. The outcome measures included urge incontinence episodes per week, stress incontinence episodes per week, micturition frequency per 24 hours, urgency episodes per 24 hours, volume voided per micturition, patient perception of bladder condition, and assessment of treatment benefit.

RESULTS

After 8 weeks, tolterodine ER produced a statistically significant decrease in the weekly urge incontinence episodes compared with placebo (-12.3 versus -8.0; P <0.0001). Other micturition variables improved significantly more with tolterodine ER. No difference was found between treatment groups regarding the change in the number of stress incontinence episodes. A significantly greater proportion of patients receiving tolterodine ER than those receiving placebo reported improvement in bladder condition (61% versus 46%; P <0.001) and treatment benefit (76% versus 55%; P <0.001). After 8 weeks, the tolterodine ER group had experienced statistically significant improvements compared with the placebo group in 9 of 10 quality-of-life domains. The frequency of adverse events was similar between treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Tolterodine ER is an effective treatment of urge urinary incontinence, frequency, and urgency in women with concomitant stress urinary incontinence. The efficacy of tolterodine ER in reducing urge incontinence episodes was unaffected by the presence of stress incontinence. The results of this study support the first-line use of antimuscarinic therapy to treat the urge incontinence component of urge-predominant mixed incontinence.